Northern lights over Saariselkä

Glass igloos in Saariselkä

7 places where you sleep under glass, each checked on its own website on 14 November 2026: the room to book, heated glass, aurora alarm, sauna and hot tub. Saariselkä is a small fell village 250 km north of the Arctic Circle, 30 minutes from Ivalo airport. Kakslauttanen, where glass igloos began, is just south of it.

Photo: northern lights over Saariselkä. This is the area, not a property. Nicolas Buffler from Guilherand Granges, France, CC BY-SA 2.0.

The 7 glass-roof stays

Only show rooms with

  1. 01

    Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort

    10 km from Saariselkä village · Google 4.1 (1,426 reviews)

    BookSmall Glass Igloo with Shower and Sauna

    • Aurora alarm
    • Private sauna

    “All our guest’s accommodations are equipped with northern lights alarms and WI-FI.”

    Check pricesRoom details

  2. 02

    Aurora Collection

    1 km from Saariselkä village · Google 4.9 (131 reviews)

    BookSignature Suite

    • Private sauna
    • Private hot tub

    “The Signature Suite is our iconic glass-roofed igloo suite”

    Check pricesRoom details

  3. 03

    Aurora Village

    26 km from Saariselkä village · Google 4.7 (628 reviews)

    BookAurora Cabin

    • Heated or defrosting glass
    • Aurora alarm: app only

    “All cabins include privacy, laser-heated glass roofs, climate control, and free high-speed Wi-Fi.”

    Check pricesRoom details

  4. 04

    Wilderness Hotel Muotka

    10 km from Saariselkä village · Google 4.6 (531 reviews)

    BookAurora Cabin

    • Heated or defrosting glass
    • Private sauna: some rooms

    “The laser-heated glass-roof opens up into the northern sky, directly above the bed.”

    Check pricesRoom details

  5. 05

    Northern Lights Village Saariselkä

    in Saariselkä village · Google 4.6 (1,826 reviews)

    BookAurora Cabin

    • Heated or defrosting glass
    • Aurora alarm: app only

    “The laser-heated glass-roof opens up into the northern sky, directly above the bed.”

    Check pricesRoom details

  6. 06

    Aurora Queen Resort

    10 km from Saariselkä village · Google 5 (199 reviews)

    BookGlass Igloo

    “All igloos are fully equipped with their own bathrooms and other comforts.”

    Check pricesRoom details

  7. 07

    Star Arctic Hotel

    2 km from Saariselkä village · Google 4.5 (707 reviews)

    BookAurora Glass Cabin

    “2-4 guests (max 2 adults) | 20m² | Unique Cabin Experience”

    Check pricesRoom details

Side by side

"Not stated" means the property's own website doesn't say. It may still have it.

StayHeated or defrosting glassAurora alarmPrivate saunaPrivate hot tubOwn bathroom
Kakslauttanen Arctic ResortNot statedIn the roomYesNot statedYes
Aurora CollectionNot statedNot statedYesYesYes
Aurora VillageYesApp onlyNot statedNot statedYes
Wilderness Hotel MuotkaYesNot statedSome roomsNot statedYes
Northern Lights Village SaariselkäYesApp onlyNot statedNot statedNot stated
Aurora Queen ResortNot statedNot statedNot statedNot statedYes
Star Arctic HotelNot statedNot statedNot statedNot statedNot stated

When to go for the northern lights

3.5hours

Clear, dark sky on an average night in the three weeks from 17 December, the clearest stretch of the season in Saariselkä.

Dark hours and clear dark hours, night by night

Each bar is one week. The pale bar is how long the sky is dark. The green part is how much of that dark time is clear in a typical year (2 oktas of cloud or less at the nearest weather station, 2015 to 2025).

Dark hours and clear dark hours per night, late August to April, Saariselkä0h5h10h15hWeek of 20 Aug: 0.0 dark hours a night, 0.0 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 27 Aug: 1.9 dark hours a night, 0.7 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 3 Sep: 4.3 dark hours a night, 1.3 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 10 Sep: 5.8 dark hours a night, 1.4 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 17 Sep: 7.1 dark hours a night, 1.3 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 24 Sep: 8.1 dark hours a night, 1.5 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 1 Oct: 9.2 dark hours a night, 1.7 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 8 Oct: 10.1 dark hours a night, 1.9 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 15 Oct: 11.0 dark hours a night, 2.0 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 22 Oct: 11.8 dark hours a night, 2.4 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 29 Oct: 12.6 dark hours a night, 2.5 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 5 Nov: 13.3 dark hours a night, 2.6 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 12 Nov: 14.0 dark hours a night, 2.4 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 19 Nov: 14.6 dark hours a night, 2.5 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 26 Nov: 15.1 dark hours a night, 2.9 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 3 Dec: 15.5 dark hours a night, 3.2 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 10 Dec: 15.7 dark hours a night, 3.4 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 17 Dec: 15.8 dark hours a night, 3.5 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 24 Dec: 15.8 dark hours a night, 3.5 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 31 Dec: 15.6 dark hours a night, 3.5 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 7 Jan: 15.2 dark hours a night, 3.4 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 14 Jan: 14.7 dark hours a night, 3.4 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 21 Jan: 14.2 dark hours a night, 3.3 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 28 Jan: 13.5 dark hours a night, 3.2 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 4 Feb: 12.7 dark hours a night, 2.9 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 11 Feb: 12.0 dark hours a night, 2.8 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 18 Feb: 11.1 dark hours a night, 2.6 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 25 Feb: 10.3 dark hours a night, 2.6 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 4 Mar: 9.3 dark hours a night, 2.8 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 11 Mar: 8.3 dark hours a night, 3.0 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 18 Mar: 7.2 dark hours a night, 2.8 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 25 Mar: 6.0 dark hours a night, 2.3 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 1 Apr: 4.5 dark hours a night, 1.5 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 8 Apr: 2.2 dark hours a night, 0.7 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 15 Apr: 0.0 dark hours a night, 0.0 of them clear in a typical yearWeek of 22 Apr: 0.0 dark hours a night, 0.0 of them clear in a typical yearSepOctNovDecJanFebMarApr
  • Sep1.4
  • Oct2.0
  • Nov2.6
  • Dec3.4
  • Jan3.4
  • Feb2.8
  • Mar2.7

Clear, dark hours per night by month. Cloud: hourly observations at Ivalo airport, Finnish Meteorological Institute, CC BY 4.0. Dark = sun 12° or more below the horizon. Each stay's own page has a night-by-night calendar. Method

Questions

When is the best time to see the northern lights from a glass igloo in Saariselkä?

On 10 seasons of weather-station cloud records, the three weeks from 17 December have the most clear, dark sky: 3.5 hours a night on average. December has the longest nights (15.8 dark hours) but only 3.5 of them are clear in a typical year in the week before Christmas.

Do the igloo roofs frost over?

Glass collects snow and frost. 3 of the 7 places here say their glass is heated or has a defrost button. The rest don't say. Ask before you book if this matters to you.

Will someone wake me if the aurora appears?

1 of the 7 have an alarm in the room. Some others give you a phone app instead, which only works if your phone is on and loud.

Can I see the northern lights in summer?

No. From late April to mid-August the sky at Saariselkä never gets dark enough. Our chart shows 0 dark hours in those weeks.

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